


In Your Hollow Heart

by ChariKard



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gen, I say in a dad voice, I'm not mad just disappointed, Spoilers for a good portion of the game, a gay who's never written a straight character in his life, but now it isn't rushed and actually develops characters, imagine the final act of the game, the fact that me, though if you've managed this long without anything being spoiled I have some questions, was moved to rewrite two extremely heterosexual characters written by professionals is telling, with one notable exception
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23058940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChariKard/pseuds/ChariKard
Summary: The Calypso twins had each other's backs. Nothing but the expected sibling spats could get between them. But nothing can last forever. And when you betray the family, no good will come of it.(Or Troy was done dirty and I refuse to let it go)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	1. And We're Worlds Apart

* * *

_Promethea: Neon Arterial_

The Vault Hunters, and their cohort Maya, had just made it to the entrance of Apollyon Station. After disposing of the COV, it came time for the compulsory looting of everything not nailed down. It was an unspoken tradition among all Vault Hunters that once things were calm, it was immediately time to scrounge for every last piece of ammunition, every new gun, and anything else that may be of interest.

In the case of today, the thing of interest was found by Amara. It was an ECHO recording stuffed in the back corner of one of the bandit’s makeshift crate abodes. Written in a barely legible scrawl were the words {Livescream QnA #1}. As was routine, Amara examined the recording for any damage that would make it unplayable. When nothing substantial was found, she called out to her fellow Vault Hunters. “Guys! Found an ECHO here.”

Her nearest companion, Zane, was the first and only one to answer. “Well, what are you waiting for? Play it.”

With no hesitation, she shoved the ECHO into place, left only to wait the necessary few seconds before the audio began to play. As was somewhat expected, the first voice to come from the ECHO-3 was that of Tyreen Calypso.

[Tyreen] Welcome back y’all! Now, before we continue with our let’s flay, I think we should answer some audience questions

[Troy] That means if you’re an eridium tier follower, send those questions our way. All you regular chat scrubs are gonna miss out so be sure to upgrade yourself.

[Tyreen] And here comes our first question. “For Troy,” pff, bad start already, “do you ever plan on going solo?”. I can answer this one. No, he doesn’t. Not in this lifetime anyway.

[Troy] Hey, it’s my question! Let me answer it.

[Tyreen] Was I wrong?

(PAUSE)

[Troy] No, but it’s the principle of the thing.

[Tyreen] Fine then, your majesty. Answer it exactly the same way I did.

[Troy] Hrm. Well, to put it simply, even if I wanted to go solo, I wouldn’t be able to. Ty’s the only thing keeping me going and if I left, I wouldn’t last a day.

[Tyreen] Aww. Aren’t you glad I’m so generous then?

[Troy] I guess I am. But we’re family so of course you wouldn’t let me starve. Right?

(PAUSE)

[Troy] Uh, Ty? You wouldn’t, right?

[Tyreen] Well, onto the next question then!

[Troy] I’ll just take that as a yes

“I don’t believe her silence was meant as an answer,” FL4K vocalized as the tape came to an end.

“Pff, no kidding,” Moze added. “You would think she would try and be more subtle about wanting her brother dead.”

Zane let out a harsh laugh, “You clearly never had a sibling want you dead before. Take it from me, the best way to hide your true intentions is by being upfront about them.”

Maya, who had largely stood to the side, decided now was the time to speak up. “But why would Tyreen want Troy dead in the first place? You’d think she’d have even the smallest bit of empathy for her twin brother.”

“She calls him a parasite,” Amara explained. “I don’t know many who would consider bonding with their parasites, regardless of who or what it was.”

FL4K responded, though not to add their insight on sibling relationships, “I think the most useful information we gathered from that tape was that on Troy. Without Tyreen he would be without sustenance. Take out Tyreen, and Troy would be an easy target,” they reasoned. “Starving prey is easier to hunt.”

Maya smirked, “Good to know.”

“He may be tall but height doesn’t make any mountain invincible,” Amara stated.

“Let’s hope we can stop them before they become gods then,” Moze reacted, with enough incredulousness that it was obvious she did not believe they would get anywhere close to godhood.

~~~~~

_Eden-6: Floodmoor Basin_

It was just after rescuing Sir Hammerlock from the Anvil. Returning to Knotty Peak, and being showered in praise for safely rescuing the love of Wainwright’s life, was refreshing. It was not every day that tragedy was avoided, especially during the new war between the COV and....well, everyone else. And this moment was the first time any of the Vault Hunters had to rest since landing on “paradise”.

For this reason, they milled about the lounge, restocking on supplies, enjoying the relative silence, and, in Moze’s case, talking to the pair of older gentlemen who had just been reunited. Unfortunately, she was still on a mission and didn’t go to them for pleasant conversation.

“Do you have any intel on the Calypsos? Anything that might give us an advantage?” The question was directed to both of them in hopes that at least one of them would be of assistance.

Hammerlock shook his head, “I’m afraid I wasn’t able to gather anything before the bandits captured me. And being in maximum security meant I had no way of overhearing anything useful.”

Wainwright eyed Hammerlock with concern for a brief moment before turning to Moze, “I, on the other hand, might have something for you,”. He pulled out an ECHO recording from his pocket. “One of them cultists had it on his person before I blasted him. Might give you some insight on those two ECHOnet lunatics.”

Moze took the tape from his hand. The word intel must have sparked interest from her partners since they had taken place right behind her, except for FL4K however, who was preoccupied attempting to get their jabber off a vending machine. Moze placed the device into her ECHO and the voice of Troy echoed through the room, go figure.

[Troy] Ty? I was wondering if you could like, back off a bit?

[Tyreen] Ugh, what is it this time? Was it the jab at your lack of success with the ladies? Because if it is then, jeez man, you need to get thicker skin.

[Troy] No it’s not that. You’ve just been getting more aggressive since you juiced that vault monster. It feels like it’s changed you.

[Tyreen] Uh duh. I’ve got these sweet ass powers now, of course I’ve changed.

[Troy] You know what I mean.

[Tyreen] Look, if you can’t handle this new and improved me, then go and sulk in a corner for a bit. I’m not about to tone down my persona just because you feel attacked for whatever reason

[Troy] Well, why not? If we’re going to be stuck with each other, shouldn’t we at least get along? And not in a way that has you shitting on me all the time.

[Tyreen] Oh boohoo. We’ve been living like this since we were kids and you’re gonna act like this now all of a sudden? I think _your_ Siren powers are getting to your head.

[Troy] My head?! You’re the one acting like a complete asshole. All I’m asking for is some basic decency.

[Tyreen] I think keeping you alive is more than enough decency.

[Troy] So that’s all I get? The privilege of not dying? And how come every time you mention that you always make me sound like a burden? Is that all I am to you? Am I not even more of a brother than that?

[Tyreen] Of course you’re my brother first. But keep up your demands and you’ll end up being just a burden that nags at me for the slightest attack on his ego.

[Troy] I’m not being demanding! I just want to be treated like more than a parasite.

[Tyreen] But that’s what you are. A parasite that I love but wouldn’t hesitate to remove if it could be helped.

(PAUSE)

[Troy] Did you just say you love your brother? How sappy!

[Tyreen] Shut up! No I didn’t! You’re annoying and I wish you were dead

[Troy] Well now I only believe half of that sentence is true

[Tyreen] I mean...you’re not wrong

“She no longer hides her true intentions.” FL4K, who had silently returned to their friends, had startled them, their voice an unexpected addition to the sudden silence.

Zane flinched, “Jeez mate! Give an old man some warning before you sneak up on him like that.”

“I apologize. My proficiency at sneaking is not a skill I can part with.”

“So Tyreen and Troy are almost at each other’s throats,” Wainwright interrupted.

Sir Hammerlock agreed, “It would seem so. I’m certain that could be of use to you all.”

Amara stared at the hardwood, lost in thought. “Maybe we can pit them against each other,” she suggested, though without any further explanation.

Moze nodded her head, “If they fight, then that’s less focus on us and it would give us the chance to get the upper hand.”

“But how are you going to get them to do that?” Hammerlock wondered.

Zane smiled and spoke before anyone else could even form an answer, “Don’t get wrapped up in the details, it’ll be easier if we don’t think about it too much.”

FL4K turned to him, managing to convey a confused expression without many of the facial features required to do so. “Is this how you always make plans?”

“Of course!” the operative answered jauntily. Unfortunately for him, it only brought looks of judgment from everyone, including the Jabber rummaging through a box in the corner. “What?” Zane questioned. “Do any of the things I do look like they’re properly planned or have thought put into them?” It was a rhetorical question, one that is answered with head movements and affirmative grunts. “That’s what I thought.”

~~~~~

_Eden-6: Jakobs Manor_

The mansion of the Jakobs family was filled with secrets. Even before Aurelia Hammerlock moved in. The help weren’t exempt from keeping secrets either, though it was usually dirt on the manor’s occupants. It was for this reason specifically that Wainwright had the Vault Hunters follow a trail of breadcrumbs that ended with blackmail on the illegitimate CEO of the Jakobs corporation.

The trail ended at a shack, previously occupied by servants, now occupied by COV. Once the cultists were disposed of, the Vault Hunters were free to search for the hidden scoop on Aurelia.

FL4K was the one who found the ECHO recording. It was hidden in a lockbox underneath the single bed pushed into one corner of the shack.

“I have located the ECHO,” they announced to their associates, allowing them all to end their searches. The tape’s contents did not make up for what it took to uncover it, but it did provide the information they needed to blackmail the Baroness.

[Troy] Wow, heh! That thing you do with the ice is...wow. Are you, uh...sure you’re not a Siren?

[Aurelia] Ohohoho-no, nothing so magical. Just nanotech and years of experience.

[Troy] Where did you get it? I’ve never seen anything like it.

[Aurelia] I’m afraid that’s a secret I can’t divulge. Let’s just say it involves my family blackmailing some corporate technology developers and leave it at that. 

[Troy] Damn. I wanted to try and get my hands on some. 

[Aurelia] And why is that? Are my ice powers not enough for you? I couldn’t possibly think of any other way to spice things up.

[Troy] No, everything’s perfect, for now at least. I’ve just been thinking about Sirens recently. I was thinking that since your nanotech looks and acts a lot like some Siren powers that maybe whoever made it could make something like...Tyreen’s.

[Aurelia] Ah, so the brother wishes to copy his sister. A little word of advice, dear? Family is just another word for war. And the sister always wins. She won’t be too pleased to see her brother stealing her thunder. She’ll take it as a challenge

[Troy] It’s not like that. I don’t want to get in Tyreen’s spotlight. That would be a big mistake. I just...I know I can get my energy from other Sirens but all of the ones we know of wouldn’t get anywhere near me. So I figured if I could get some tech that mimicked Tyreen’s powers, I could give it to someone I trusted. Someone like you who knows a lot about me outside of my ECHOnet persona.

[Aurelia] My my, is this a proposal? Because if it is, I’m afraid it will have to be a no until you put on some extravagant display. Preferably in front of a crowd filled with our adoring fans.

[Troy] Nah, it’s not a proposal. And not that you’re not marriage material. I’m not really looking for that kind of commitment.

[Aurelia] What a shame. You know Troy...I think I still have a few of those tech developers on payroll. I could give him a call. If that’s something you’d want, of course.

[Troy] You would do that for me? I mean...I know that wasn’t part of our deal but-

[Aurelia] I can make an addition to it. After all, you got the deed from Montgomery Jakob’s cold dead hands for me, and I’m not sure locating the vault key is necessarily satisfactory payment.

[Troy] I thought our...arrangement was part of the payment?

[Aurelia] Oh Troy. I’m not some penniless hussy who sells herself in any capacity. This is for fun. You understand?

[Troy] Understood Baroness.

[Aurelia] You know you can call me Aurelia.

[Troy] I know. But I think Baroness is sexier.

[Aurelia] Oh you dog! Don’t you know how to flatter a lady. Now, show me again what you can do with your new powers.

[Troy] Gladly...

Once the tape ended, and somewhat disgusted looks were shared between the Vault Hunters, Wainwright responded over the ECHO, “Eurgh. That harpy bedded that Siren ratboy and killed my father just to be richer than Alistair. While I’m not sure how much closure that gave me regarding my father’s death, it sure did give us what information we need to depose her if need be. Come on back and return that ECHO.”

Silence set over the group, only broken when Amara couldn’t handle it anymore. “So...fast travel?” She asked while lifting her ECHO device. There were only nods of approval from the others.

Just before they were transported, Zane let out one last comment, practically under his breath, “She could do so much better than that Calypso bastard.”

~~~~~

_Eden-6: Floodmoor Basin_

The Vault Hunters returned from the Jakobs manor, mostly unscathed. Hammerlock was waiting for their return, along with Wainwright, within Knotty Peak. He had silently worried about a certain group of people, deciding to keep it under wraps until the time was right. He came to the conclusion that now was as good a time as any. As Zane paced just in front of him, Hammerlock cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, but I have something I need taken care of if you wish to be of assistance.”

Zane practically broke his neck turning his attention to the gentleman. “A mission? Count me in.”

Hammerlock exhaled a sigh of relief. “Wonderful! While incarcerated by the Children of the Vault, I joined a gang! For protection as well as camaraderie. Good fellows. Freedom fighters and ruthless criminals, often both! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to say my goodbyes, and I found an ECHO in the warden’s office that made me uneasy.” Hammerlock pulled out said ECHO from his pocket, handing it to Zane.

The Vault Hunter put it in without hesitation and the familiar voice of Troy Calypso played.

[Troy] Alright, I’m liking this energy! Who’s next?

[Bandits] *Unintelligible shouting*

[Troy] Let’s see...how ‘bout you! In the bloody vest! No, not you. The guy two rows back! Yeah you, come on up!

[Bandits] *Cheering*

[Troy] And what’s your name?

[Bandit] It’s uh Raymond

[Troy] Well Raymond, you ready to be phaselocked?

[Raymond] YES MY GOD KING I'M SO READY

[Troy] Okay, you can tone down the excitement. And here we...go!

[Raymond] *Moans*

[Troy] Ugh dude...seriously?

[Bandit 1] Why couldn’t you do that to me?!

[Bandit 2] I didn’t realize it felt good!

[Bandit 3] I was scammed!

[Troy] Jeez, see what you did? Couldn’t keep your fantasies tucked away for like 10 seconds? Is that too much to ask?

[Raymond] I'M SORRY TROY! ILL DO BETTER NEXT TIME!

[Troy] Good to hear. Unfortunately for you, there won’t be a next time.

[Raymond] *Shouts in pain*

[Bandits] *Confused grumbling*

[Troy] Woah...uh...Raymond? You alive buddy?

[Raymond] Yes God-King. With my powers, I will serve you however you want.

[Troy] Ugh, I thought we went over this. Hey! Who wants to kill this heretic?

(Sounds of fighting)

(Screams of terror)

(Silence)

[Troy] What the hell? Raymond? How’d you do that?

[Raymond] I don’t know. But these powers are awesome. And I have you to thank.

[Troy] Me? I gave you those powers? That’s...huh. Wonder what else I can do with this

Zane glanced up to the gentleman. “What the heck was that?”

Hammerlock gave a despondent look. “I believe that tape contained the moment Troy created his first ‘anointed’ as he calls them. I’m not sure why this tape was in the warden’s office, but it worries me nonetheless. If Troy was based in the Anvil for some time then there’s no telling what he might have done to the prisoners, my friends included.”

“So you want us to pop in and check in on your prison buddies?” Zane asked for clarification's sake.

“Exactly so. You’d be doing an old adventurer a great service. Stress isn’t good on the heart you see.”

“Righty then,” Zane turned away from Hammerlock, scanning the faces of his fellow Vault Hunter. “Hey! We’re heading back to the Anvil. Gotta help put an old man at ease.”

“How’s a prison going to calm you down?” Moze teased.

Zane expressed his minor amusement with a half-smile, “Oh haha. Keep it up and I’ll show you what this old man is capable of.”

“Don’t do that, we wouldn’t want you breaking a hip,” Amara joked, doing her best to stifle her laughter.

Zane rolled his eyes. “At least you don’t treat me like this,” he gestured towards FL4K, who didn’t seem to be listening.

The robot swung their head in Zane’s direction, “Sorry but I am afraid I do not understand the speech patterns of the elderly. They are too slow for my auditory processors to decipher.” The comment caused Moze to snort and Amara to unload what laughter she had been holding back.

“Unbelievable,” Zane whispered. He made eye contact with Hammerlock, “We’ll get right on helping you out. As soon as they get the giggles out of their system.”

~~~~~

_Pandora: Cathedral of the Twin Gods_

It was nearing the end of their struggle against the COV. After witnessing Troy Calypso phaselock an entire moon, there was no time to be wasted on side missions. Though there was enough time to investigate a barricaded door inside the Cathedral of the Twin Gods. In most cases, at least one of the Vault Hunters would have objected, but rare loot is a powerful temptress, and even the most rational explanations can’t convince a die-hard gun slut.

Inside the barricaded room was a red chest that Zane and Moze took no time opening and a few smaller containers that weren’t a complete waste of time to look through. Looking through them was quite lucky, as behind one of the loot crates was an ECHO, left and forgotten by whoever recorded it. FL4K and Amara looked at each other and with silent agreement played the tape.

[Tyreen] *sigh* Okay, I know you had no way of knowing she was a Siren but come on man! Couldn’t you have like...I don’t know, killed her faster?

[Troy] Uh sorry? Ty, I wasn’t the one who wanted her captured. That was you.

[Tyreen] Excuses, excuses. 

[Troy] Hey, I was just doing what you told me. Even if I thought it was dumb, it’s not my fault she’s still alive.

[Tyreen] You were the one that phaselocked her. If you thought my plan was so stupid, then why didn’t you just kill her right then and there?

[Troy] Because I had no other choice! 

[Tyreen] But you did! You chose the option that put us at a disadvantage.

[Troy] I thought we had a system. You tell me what to do and I do it without question. It’s been like that since we were, what, five years old?

[Tyreen] I haven’t been bossing you around since we were that young.

[Troy] Yes you have! You threatened to keep me from living multiple times!

[Tyreen] Whatever, we were kids. I was probably joking.

[Troy] Never sounded like jokes to me.

[Tyreen] So I teased you a bunch when we were little. Is that seriously the reason you never disagree with me now? Well, up until a few seconds ago, that is.

[Troy] Yes! That, and I wasn’t in the mood to argue with you.

[Tyreen] Oh, but now you are? We’re so close to opening the Great Vault and you’re going to argue with me now?

[Troy] I don’t know what more you want from me! I’ve been bending over backward since we got here making sure you’re happy, letting you take charge, and now because I _didn’t_ disobey you, because I never went against what you said, the scientist getting away is somehow my fault?!

[Tyreen] Yes it is! I let you take the lead on one thing and look at where it lead to. Us almost being outplayed by some shitty two-bit Vault Thieves.

[Troy] For god’s sake, Ty, are you even listening to yourself? You’re playing some serious mental gymnastics just to blame me for letting that scientist lady get away. Why can’t you just accept you messed up this time?

[Tyreen] I’m sorry, what was that?

[Troy] *Choking* Fuck you, Tyreen!

[Tyreen] Ooh, the parasite’s got balls! I was wondering where those went.

[Bandit] WE'VE JUST REACHED OUR ERIDIUM GOAL! THANKS TO EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU FOR DONATING TO OUR RIGHTEOUS CAUSE! BUT YOU BETTER KEEP THOSE DONATIONS COMING! THE DRIVE WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE GREAT VAULT IS OPENED! WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!

[Tyreen] Hmph...I was looking forward to dusting you. But I guess I have to keep you alive still.

[Troy] *Cough* You’re such a bitch.

[Tyreen] Tell me something I don’t know, ratboy.

“Jaysus,” Zane exclaimed. “Looks like they're at their wits’ end.”

“Does this mean one push and they’re punching each other instead of us?” Moze wondered aloud.

“We can only hope so,” Amara replied. “But we shouldn’t have that as our main focus. Whether they fight each other or not, we take them down.”

With those as their last thoughts, the Vault Hunters hurried out of the backroom, hoping against all odds they made it in time before the Great Vault was opened.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still salty about the fact that Troy's betrayal came out of nowhere.
> 
> SHOW ME THE FORBIDDEN ECHOS GEARBOX I KNOW THEY EXIST 
> 
> VINDICATE MY HARD WORK


	2. Forget the Horror Here

* * *

The Vault Hunters were always resourceful and quick thinking. It was part of their job description. For that reason, it was no wonder they cut off the supply of Eridium that was being funneled directly to Troy Calypso. With as much power as he was getting, he could charge a moon-sized Vault key, one that opened a planet-sized Vault. Without any eridium, he was incapable of most anything apart from using his stolen phaselock abilities.

With these factors taken into consideration, it was also no wonder why the four Vault Hunters made it to the top of the Eridian ruins with increased wills and trigger happy fingers. Then the sky went dark again, and Troy’s phase beam shot through the atmosphere.

“How...Tannis, the Vault Hunters cut off his eridium supply!” Lilith exclaimed through the speakers of the Vaulters ECHO-3’s. “Where’s Troy getting that kind of power?!”

Tannis responded with all the lack of confidence one would expect when discovering a truth with terrifying consequences. “I have a theory, but you aren’t going to like it, Lilith.”

“Tyreen. He’s using Tyreen!” Lilith shouted. “He’s leeching his sister to keep charging Elpis! Vault Hunters, you have to take out Troy. It’s the only way.”

The quartet was silent. Now was not the time for idle chat. They needed to defeat Troy and save Pandora. They sped through the ruins and reached the point of no return. A drop off that lead to Troy and Tyreen. No hesitation.

They landed onto the base of the Vault, flanked on both sides by large Eridian statues. Ahead of them was Troy and Tyreen, floating between the arch of the Vault door. Tyreen was paralyzed due to Troy’s phaselock and Troy himself was straining to charge the key with what little energy he could siphon from his sister.

He turned away from the moon, which was inching ever closer by the second, with a distraught look on his face. “No!” he bellowed. “Not when I'm this close!”

The god-king dropped to the ground, sprouting translucent crimson wings from his back. “You won’t stop me!” He shouted, launching orbs of electricity at the Vault Hunters. They scattered in all directions and began shooting at Troy, though the effectiveness of their bullets was unknowable.

Troy’s movements were frantic and hurried. He outmaneuvered Amara’s phase fists, Zane’s turret Fire, and attack’s from Moze’s Iron Bear, though FL4K’s pets were much harder to avoid since they weren’t afraid to get up close and personal.

Troy brushed off any hits that actually connected, some were even brushed off by his coat. If any of the bullets were, at the very least, bothersome, he didn’t let it show. His sword swings forced FL4K’s beasts back, and his wings carried him above the battlefield and out of the line of fire, for however brief it was.

But every mountain can be reduced to sand with enough time and force, and Troy was far from being a mountain. With one shotgun blast to the arm, the parasite fell to the ground, grunting in pain and sweating profusely. He glared at the Vault Hunters, though not with as much malice one would expect after being shot multiple times. He tossed his large coat and steadied himself on his feet. From behind him came cries from his sister, which were filled with fear she never seemed capable of expressing before.

“Troy! It hurts!” Tyreen was still stuck in the grip of her brother’s powers, unable to move or use any of her own. Even if she could, her brother had her drained to the point of uselessness.

This was what made Troy’s response much more visceral. “You have to suck it up! This is the only way now!” He didn’t explain any further, launching another salvo of electrical attacks. Unexpectedly, he used his phaselock ability to bring cultists into the battle, giving him a respite from being hurt, but not from trying to hurt the Vault Hunters. As they downed his devotees, perhaps as a byproduct of siphoning his sister, torrents of flames shot from the ground at the Vault Hunters’ feet. Added together, the number of happenings led to a chaotic display that was undercut only by Tyreen gaining control of her speech and shouting once more. “You’re gonna kill me!”

Troy’s acts of violence puttered out with his words, “I know! But this is what you wanted!” Even in the hectic scenario put before them, the Vault Hunters could recognize this as patently false. There was no way Tyreen wanted to be painfully sapped of her energy at the hands of her brother. But there was no time to think further beyond this. Troy crashed to the ground below him, releasing a ripple of energy across it. He repeated this a few more times before taking a bullet to the thigh and losing control of his flight. He fell on his stomach and barely avoided smashing his face on the hard stone. He struggled to bring himself back up, and his sister screaming once more made it all the more difficult.

“Please! Mercy!” she cried, her voice quivering.

Troy lay in a plank position, yelling back at his sister. “I-I can’t! I’m doing this for you!” His resolve was clearly shaken. His moral backbone was being chipped away by his sister’s tone. He was close to defeat. With a jolt of speed, the parasite blasted through the air, taking place just above his immobile sister. Somehow his shadow was cast onto the encroaching moon, and with a flurry of motion, chunks of rock rained down across the field, most being dodged with ease. In frustration, Troy returned to the platform. Using his sword as a base, he pulled boulders from the ground to form a pillar heavy enough to severely harm any who were to meet the end of it. With as much effort as he could muster, the pillar slammed down on top of Zane, tossing him a few feet back. The operative skid across the floor, calling for aid, which came in the form of a friendly skag.

Troy, on the other hand, had no aid, and his power was draining quickly. Tyreen would soon run out and Troy wouldn’t be able to continue the struggle anymore. It was one final plea that was the last nail in the coffin.

“Stop! I’m going to die!” Tyreen’s voice was a shadow of what she was on the ECHOnet. No longer boisterous and energetic, the Siren was weakened and frightened beyond belief. Troy, was too, but for completely different reasons. He couldn’t lose, not now, not after putting his sister through this. He had to win.

“Ty, please! Just a little longer and we win!” His voice scraped its way out of his throat and hit deaf ears. It was one ethereal fist that put an end to that dream of winning. Troy, sapped of everything collapsed like a ton of bricks, landing on his side and falling on his back. Tyreen, with her brother’s powers drained, was no longer trapped, but she still had no energy. She landed face first, a meter behind her brother.

Troy was conscious, but Tyreen was not. The parasite exhaled one last sentence before losing consciousness himself. “Ty...we were so close...”

From behind the now gawking and tired Vault Hunters came the patter of feet and a familiar voice.

“A-Are they dead?” Ava pondered, dropping to her knees beside Troy without even acknowledging the Vault Hunters surrounding her. She instinctively reached out to Troy’s shoulder as if drawn to do so by a mysterious force. Upon contact, the glowing Siren tattoos lost their luminescence and Ava’s arm flashed with bright color. She looked in awe at her forearm before her body was lifted from the ground and into the air. She stared lazily at the moon and with one word returned to the solid floor below. “Maya...”

When her feet touched down, Tannis, followed by Lilith a few steps behind, made her first comment. “Those powers never truly belonged to Troy. And now it seems they have found their rightful owner.” 

Lilith raised the corner of her mouth, “Maya had a plan all along. Those suit you, Ava”

“Thanks,” The teen exclaimed only to follow up with a melancholy question. “But...what about you?”

Lilith brushed the question aside with a dismissive answer, “It’s over. That’s what matters.”

“Now about these two...” Tannis pondered, mostly to change the subject. “I assume we should dispose of them?”

Lilith shrugged her shoulders, “Leave them for the dogs. Not like they’re going anywhere.” 

Tannis didn’t argue. “I guess in the meantime you four should know that this is still a Vault. Why not go and investigate? I’m sure you’re looking forward to your loot after all.”

The four Vault Hunters smiled, taking no time to enter the opening Vault door. As they disappeared into the precipice, Tannis, Ava, and Lilith walked around. They didn’t have much to do but contemplate the sudden closeness of the moon.

“Wow...look,” Ava spoke, her tone listful.

The two Sirens turned to the sky in the same direction as Ava. They watched as the sky was filled by the glowing remnants of the Calypsos near victory. Tannis espoused her own thoughts on the lights, “Beautiful. Terrifying but beautiful nonetheless.”

With nothing to add, Lilith crouched down and retrieved the Vault key one of the twins had dropped. “Here Ava. You take it.” The teenager took the artifact into her hands and without prompting, activated the interstellar hologram contained within. As the galaxy extended outward in front of her and the Vault locations became known, Lilith asked Ava one simple question, "Well? Where do you wanna go?"

Before she could answer, the sound of a gunshot cut through the silence. The trio darted their heads around, only to see Zane pointing a gun at Tyreen, who had managed to get up while the Sirens had their attention elsewhere. Her arm was bleeding, most likely caused by Zane’s gun, and she was just barely standing.

“Nice shot,” the cult leader spat. “Don’t know why you’re trying to save this traitor,” she kicked Troy’s side at her final word, causing him to grunt in pain.

“Not trying to save him,” Zane explained, “trying to stop you.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble but that’s not happening.” As if on queue, the ground below erupted in a violent tremor, one that seemed to entertain Tyreen. She smirked and outstretched her hands. “Do you feel that? There’s a god waking up beneath our feet. And we just took off its chains. Soon the Destroyer will be free. And once I leech it...well, I’ll be the only star left in the sky.” Before anyone could react, she waved at the Vault Hunters, “Well it was nice being God Queen. But I don't need that title anymore. Who needs it when you’re about to consume the entire galaxy?” She took a step forward but stopped abruptly. “Oh and Troy?” She crouched down to gaze at her brother. “I’ll see you when _I_ open the Great Vault.” with those her final words, she vanished in a flash.

“What’s happening?” Ava spouted frantically.

Tannis responded, “The Great Vault is opening...”

Lilith in a moment of contemplation, reacted with her own inner assumption, “Pandora...Pandora is the Great Vault.” Her eyes darted across the faces of her friends, concern replacing any other emotion she had at that moment. She parted her lips to speak but was prevented from doing so by the sound of a voice coming from behind the group.

“Hello? Hello?! Is anyone there? What have you done? The universe is doomed!” They all looked to the source and saw it was coming from the jacket Troy had discarded earlier. Lilith rushed over to it and rummaged through an inside pocket, pulling out an ECHO device.

She responded to the voice’s frantic call, “This is Lilith, commander of the Crimson Raiders. Who is this?”

“Who? How did you get this-“ the voice cut itself off, “no, you know what? It doesn’t matter. This is Typhon DeLeon. Listen up. You see that crazy beam of light shooting through the sky? Pretty cool, right? Well, that means the Great Vault is opening. And if it does, say goodbye to Pandora! And the whole universe! So get your keister to Nekrotafeyo. Now!”

Tannis rammed into Lilith, pulling the ECHO from her hands with no effort. “Wait! I have so many more questions for you! The most important being how do we get to Nekrotafeyo?” She waited for him to speak once more but a few seconds of silence made it obvious he wasn’t going to respond. Tannis sighed, “I guess we’ll have to find out ourselves.”

“So what are we gonna do with this unconscious man here?” Amara gestured to Troy, still unmoving but clearly breathing.

Lilith pondered briefly, coming to a conclusion within seconds. “Bring him up to Sanctuary. He might have some information on Tyreen or how he got in contact with Typhon DeLeon. Something we can use.”

Moze nodded, “Understood, Commander.” The gunner squatted beside Troy, grabbing hold of his right leg, “Alright team, let’s lift him up on the count of three.” Her fellow Vault Hunters took a position at each of his remaining limbs. FL4K took his right leg, Amara his left arm, and Zane his right. Once they all had a grip, Moze counted up, “One. Two. Three!”

They all lifted with relative ease, except for Zane, who was stuck trying to lift and maneuver Troy’s large metal prosthetic. “Jaysus!” the operative grunted, “Who woulda thought this twink could be this heavy.”

The four began walking, just behind Lilith and the two other Sirens. They moved at a steady pace, until FL4K asked a question that tripped up everyone, “Excuse me, but what is a ‘twink’? The term does not show up in my databases.”

Amara groaned, “My God, Zane.”

“This one’s all on you, buddy,” Moze proclaimed, giving Zane the best side glance she could from her current position.

Zane didn’t object, totally comfortable with explaining himself to his confused robot companion. “Fine by me. I wouldn’t have let any of you explain anyway.”

~~~~~

“Ugh...” Troy groaned as his eyes opened and adjusted to the dim light of the room he awoke in.

From one of the four corners came a declaration, “He’s up!” Troy turned to see who it was, only to see the four Vault Hunters who had defeated him earlier.

“Uh...what?” He crooked an eyebrow, “Where am I?”

Moze was the first to answer, “You’re onboard Sanctuary,”

That at least clarified why they were all there. Troy tried to move his hands into a more comfortable position, but a tugging from his left arm indicated it was tied behind his back to the chair he was seated in. Looking to his right, he also noticed that his metal prosthetic was missing. “Where’s my arm?” he asked, moving the ball joint attached to his shoulder.

“We removed it,” Zane reacted.

“Why?” Moving his legs, he noticed his ankles were similarly tied together. Despite understanding why he was tied up, the need to remove his arm seemed baseless. He couldn't use it much differently from a regular arm. Maybe the size was the problem, but whatever the case, he would have liked to know, at least to shed some light on the thought process of his captors.

Zane sighed, shaking his head at Troy’s one-word question, “Look, you’re about to be interrogated. I’d keep the questions to a minimum.”

“Alright, I get it,” Troy acknowledged just as the large metal door swung open. In stomped Lilith with a deep scowl, trailed by Claptrap for god knows what reason. “Woah, Liarhawk,” Troy teased, “I wasn’t aware you’d be the one questioning me.”

“Don’t try to be cute with me.” She spat, placing herself in front of Troy. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Ratboy.”

Troy tilted his head, “I...I do?”

From the same corner he was previous, Zane clicked his tongue and whispered almost inaudibly. “Already disregarding my advice...”

Lilith ignored the comment, pacing the width of the room. “From ECHOnet star to bandit cult leader. You’ve made quite a name for yourself.”

“Uh...thank...you?” Troy wasn’t sure where her words were headed. He knew she wasn’t pleased, that much was obvious. Yet he couldn’t keep his mouth shut like he was advised. Maybe it was out of confusion, but it was most likely out of nervous energy. That was usually the case.

“You damn near killed some of my best raiders before they brought you in,” Lilith continued.

“You think we’re you’re best? I’m flattered.” Zane once again interjected only this time he was taught a lesson by a quick elbow jab from Moze who was standing next to him. “Ow!” he moped while Lilith did her best to keep her intimidation going.

“Here’s how it is, Troy. I’m gonna ask you some questions. And if I don’t like your answers...well, let’s hope I do like them.” Lilith gestured at the four Vault Hunters. “Aim at the prisoner.”

The four glanced around, unsure if the request was serious. Amara fiddled with the grip of her shotgun as she made Lilith clarify. “Uh...is that really necessary? I don’t think he poses much of a threat anymore.”

“I said 'aim at the prisoner'!” Lilith snapped. Everyone present flinched at her tone. The Vault Hunters pulled out their guns, hesitantly holding them in Troy’s direction. “Now I will ask you only once...why?”

Lilith didn’t provide enough context for Troy to even start answering. “Eh...why what?”

Lilith rolled her eyes, “Why all this cult crap! Why open the Great Vault? Why betray your sister? Why was there an ECHO device linked directly to Typhon DeLeon on you?”

Troy sucked on his teeth. “Oh...well, that’s...kind of a long story...”

The Commander crossed her arms. “We’ve got time. But if you don’t answer our questions before we get the location of Nekrotafeyo, then...we’ll have no further use for you.”

“Wow! I like this attitude of yours, Lilith.” Claptrap, somehow, managed to be silent up until that point. Every head present eventually turned in his direction as he rambled on. “This is just like that time you interrogated Athena. Remember? She went on for hours about why she worked for Handsome Jack and made a pretty convincing argument as to why his actions were justified, in his own mind of course, but you didn’t like her answer in the end so you ordered some of the raiders to execute her despite the protests of your best men, but THEN that weird guardian thing showed up and stopped all the bullets and-“

“Claptrap!” Lilith shouted, dropping her arms to her sides. She clenched her fists as the robot’s words stewed in everyone’s heads. No one currently in the room knew about Athena’s interrogation, other than Lilith and Claptrap, and the Siren had almost forgotten it even happened. She inhaled deeply, relaxed her hands and directed an order at the obnoxious robot. “..Leave.”

“Okay!” Claptrap responded with his typical cheerful voice. He turned around and left through the automatic doors. The room was soon filled with silence, the Vault Hunters seeming not to want to break rank and speaking before their Commander.

Eventually, Lilith spoke up. “Lower your guns,” she said, shoulders slumping as the words left her lips. The Vault Hunters did as they were told, relief washing over them.

Troy’s eyes widened, “Woah, what a twist. What made you change your mind? About the whole wanting to kill me thing.”

Lilith hesitated at first but must have came to the conclusion that everyone present deserved to know the truth. “I...I ordered someone to be killed, someone who could have been useful to the Crimson Raiders all because she worked with Handsome Jack. Almost happened too, but...well...those guardians are tricky.” She didn't elaborate on that but did finish explaining what she intended to. “Anyway, it was a mistake and I learned from it. I’m not about to make it again. Even if you are the enemy, you deserve to explain yourself without the fear of death looming over you. Plus,” she pointed to his restrained arm, “I think five Vault Hunters are more than enough to stop you if you try anything.”

Troy gathered that he was now safe to talk as much as he wanted. Lilith’s softened expression gave him that assumption. “So you’re asking me for my side of the story?” he questioned for clarification's sake.

“I guess I am huh?”

“Okay then. Where to start?”

“How about we start simple. Why’d you betray your sister?”

Troy winced at the mention of both his sister and his supposed betrayal. “The thing is...I don’t really think I did...” He glanced at the faces around him, hoping to see at least one that showed even the subtlest hint of agreement. The closest he got was from FL4K who wasn’t notorious for being easy to read. “Ugh fine,” he conceded as the staring became too judgemental for his liking. “It’s like...she’s been manipulating me since we were kids and I was just pushed to my limits. I called her out for one mistake since we left home and she almost killed me!”

“That mistake was having Tannis captured, right?” Amara wondered.

“Yeah. How’d you know?” Troy’s face scrunched up, considering he expected his revelation to be new.

“ECHO recordings are a wonderful thing.” the Siren answered, tapping the device strapped to her belt.

Troy exhaled, sounding almost impressed by their discovery. “Huh...so yeah. My break, I guess you could call it, was probably inevitable. It’s just that all the pressure of making her-I mean, our dream succeed was too much. I had to take drastic measures. And if they ended up hurting her in the process? Well, she’s been hurting me for years, so I thought it was justified.” Troy didn’t revel in his betrayal as one might expect. If anything his tone came off as remorseful towards the end of his explanation.

Lilith picked up on this. “But you didn’t take any joy in hurting her. Despite all she’s done to you, you still felt bad for what you were doing in retaliation?”

Troy shrugged, “Well duh. I care about my sister. We’ve been inseparable since we were born.” He paused, continuing a second later, “Wait...I take that back. We were figuratively inseparable after we were literally separated.”

Amara added her own take on the situation. “But she clearly doesn’t care about you. We’ve heard some of your conversations. She was never far from admitting she wanted you dead.”

“Well...yeah, but that’s just a sibling thing. You wouldn’t understand,” Troy mumbled.

“My brothers tried to kill me before,” Zane spoke without prompting. “It’s why I never liked them very much.”

“Me and Ty are different. You and your brothers weren’t kept in a prison by your dad and had no one but each other to fall back on.”

Lilith’s concerned nature was tipped at the mention of prison. She leaned forward slightly, “Your dad had you in a prison?”

Troy shook his head, “Not an actual prison. He was just scared about what would happen if Tyreen left home so he never let her out of his sight.”

“And you couldn't leave her side without starving to death,” Amara commented.

“Pretty much. So it’s gonna suck until we find her again.” Troy didn’t expect the room to go quiet when he said that. After all, they had no reason to stop asking him questions. Maybe it was because of how casually he spoke about his starvation. It would make sense but...why would any of them care? They had shot him to near-death not that long ago.

“Does it hurt?” The question brought him out of his inner thoughts. He looked to Amara, who was the one who asked.

“Nah. The worst it’s ever gotten felt like a few body aches and that was after a week of being ignored because of an argument. I’ll be fine until we get Ty.”

Lilith looked at Troy, sensing the hopelessness in his voice. “If we close the Great Vault without needing to kill her,” she questioned, “would she even be willing to come quietly just for you?”

“If I know my sister, she wouldn’t be doing anything quietly. So no. She wouldn’t surrender...not even for me.” Troy trailed off, realization finally hitting him after reaching everyone else. He let his head drop, staring at his feet. After years of being with his sister, years of never having to worry about her deliberately letting him starve, he was staring death in the face. And this time there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“So...that will be it? You’ll just starve to death without any fighting?” Amara showed genuine concern in both her demeanor and tone of voice.

Troy sighed. “I never was the fighting type. Pandora changed that pretty quickly but...I don’t want to fight anymore. I’ve been through enough. I’ve put you guys through enough. I’ve...I've hurt the people I care about enough.” After years of struggling to be his own person, years of being stuck next to someone who saw him as disposable, he got his first taste of freedom. But it was gone before it even began. And just like his eventual demise, he couldn’t do anything now. His impulsive actions led to where he was now. This was his fault and his alone.

“This doesn’t have to be the end, Troy.” Amara cut through his rumination. Troy looked up to her with an almost mournful expression

“It is though, isn’t it? Not much I can do now.” He was showing a side of him that no one saw. The side of him that was real and honest about his emotions, no longer hidden behind a mask he crafted especially to be admired. His true feelings were on full display, not that he cared anymore. He was going to die no matter what, he might as well express himself properly for the first time in years.

“You can take from any other Siren. And need I remind you...” Amara flashed her tattoos, a reminder no one in the room required.

Moze was the first to voice her opinion on the matter. “Are you seriously offering to let Troy leech off of you? Doesn’t that seem a little ill-advised?” Her question was marked by a tinge of malice, though not directed at her Siren companion.

Amara crossed her arms, “He hasn’t given me any reason to distrust him since we brought him here.”

Moze’s expression flashed with utter confusion.“But he’s been awake for like five minutes. How do we know he isn’t just trying to save his own ass or still working with his sister?”

“Well, he has at least a week to prove that he isn’t.” She turned to Troy, who was still pouting. “Does that seem fair, Ratboy?”

Troy didn't really have much of an opinion. He didn't like the idea of deliberately starving for a week, and didn't see any reason to be kept living. After all, the only person he was living for left him to die as punishment for what he did. And he didn't blame Tyreen for it at all. He betrayed her trust and he deserved whatever she deemed was necessary. Regardless of how much he argued with himself, he deserved to die...right? “I...why even bother keeping me alive? I don’t deserve to be talking to you right now.”

“Because you seem repentant enough,” Amara explained. “And everyone deserves a second chance.”

Troy scoffed with minor humor, “You’re too kind.”

“Like way too kind in my opinion,” Moze criticized.

Zane playfully pushed her shoulder, “Oh leave her be. He’s going to be her pet project now.”

FL4K, who maintained silence up until then, spoke out at the mention of an animal companion, “He does remind me of a pet. Perhaps a Jabber. Or maybe a Ratch. If only I were allowed to keep a ratch on the ship.”

Troy was taken aback. Here were his enemies, people he antagonized for weeks, showing him even the tiniest bit of mercy when they could easily dispose of him. He didn't understand. The only reason they had against doing so was ‘everyone deserves a second chance’ but is that even true? He didn't feel it was. If their roles were reversed he wouldn't bat an eye cutting them down...right? He was doubting everything about himself now. After all that he'd been through in the last few hours, his worldview was collapsing at its edges and he wasn't sure he was ready to commit to its destruction.

In classic Troy fashion, he diverted the conversation away from his own inner turmoil, “So...what now?”

No one batted an eye when Lilith did as a commander does and spoke on everyone’s behalf. “One last question before we untie you. Why did you have an ECHO linked to Typhon DeLeon?”

“I...I did?” That was a name he hadn't heard in years. Typhon DeLeon. The First Vault Hunter. Widower and father to-

“Lilith!” A hurried eridian scientist and siren, Patricia Tannis, barreled through the sliding door, almost slamming her head as said door opened upward. She stood behind Lilith and expelled a sentence filled with unmasked excited energy, “After translating that Eridian slab, I’ve deciphered some coordinates that most definitely lead to Nekrotafeyo. We can finally get to the Eridian homeworld and meet Typhon DeLeon!”

Lilith turned to her, “Good work Tannis.” She looked back to Troy over her shoulder, “We’ll continue this conversation later, Troy. Raiders, to the bridge.”

Troy assumed his silence and puzzled look after the Commander’s question was enough to satisfy her curiosity, or at least show that he didn't have an answer. Troy was relieved. He wasn't ready to open that can of worms, even if he was going to have to sooner rather than later. As the Vault Hunters filed out of the room, Troy attempted to get up, almost forgetting he was tied to his seat. He called out before they all disappeared behind a corner, “Uh, you guys aren’t just gonna leave me here right?”

Lilith heard his cry and returned to him. She eyed him with suspicion for a few seconds before groaning, “Oh fine. I’m putting way too much trust in my gut than I’m used to so...don’t do anything you’ll regret.” the Commander pulled out a knife from her boot and cut the ties around Troy’s wrist.

Troy put his now free hand to his bare chest, “You have my word.” Lilith knelt and removed the ropes at Troy’s ankle in silence, standing up and stowing her knife away once she was done. Troy massaged his wrist as he took to his feet. “So, Liarha- I mean, Lilith,” he caught himself, realizing he shouldn't use that ill-willed nickname after just being given mercy at the hands of its recipient. “Can I get my coat back? And if you guys just left it on Pandora maybe a shirt or something? It’s kinda chilly in here.”

Lilith didn't seem in a helpful mood but was willing to cooperate to avoid any possibility of betrayal on his part. “I’ll see if we have anything spare. Don’t expect it to be both fashionable and functional though.”

“Oh, and my arm too,” he gripped the metal joint attached to his shoulder, “I feel lopsided without it.” If Lilith didn't know where it was then he'd have to ask the Vault Hunters. He hoped no one tossed it out the trash chute, though it probably wouldn't have fit in it anyway.

~~~~~

The Vault Hunters had ascended an Eridian elevator leading them into a large open hallway, streaks of red covering the ceiling. From their ECHOs blasted the sarcastic voice of Tyreen Calypso. “So, you made it to Nekrotafeyo. Slow clap. ‘Cause you’re slow. Always playing catch-up, aren’t ya? All that’s left on that planet is dust and demons. Trust me.”

“Hurry Vault Hunter. The key’s just up ahead.” Typhon DeLeon, who had been giving assistance over ECHO, sounded different from his usual playful optimism and rambling. It was odd, but the now attacking Guardians diverted the Vault Hunters’ attention. Their shots overlapped with the noises the alien biomachines emanated until they echoed alone through the empty room. The Vault Hunters pressed on entering a new, more cramped room, searching for loot, when Tyreen spoke again, more annoyed than earlier.

“You’re wasting your time. The Destroyer’s almost here, and when I consume it, I’m gonna be a god. I know you’re listening, dad. Are you proud of your little girl?”

The Vault Hunters stop in their tracks, sharing bewildered glances. Typhon added reluctant confirmation with his response. “Tyreen...? Starlight...”

“Uh, what?” Lilith chimed in, clearly as confused as everyone else listening in.

“You weren’t gonna tell them, were you, dad? Oops!” Tyreen’s grudge filled smile could be heard in her tone. “Well, Vault thieves, guess who taught us everything we needed to know to take this galaxy apart piece by piece? Typhon DeLeon. The first Vault Hunter. Oh, dad, by the way? Troy’s dead. Your friends there killed him. So...have fun with that.”

The Vault Hunters knew this to be untrue and were about to correct the Siren but were unable to shake their stupor in time before Typhon allowed them to put it off. “Vault Hunters, the guardians know you’re here. Fight ‘em off. We’ll talk after.”

~~~~~

“Typhon. About Troy...” Troy had been listening in on the conversations on Nekrotafeyo, thanks to Lilith allowing him to hang out on the bridge with her. He gazed out the window of the planet he once called home, the destroyed surface something he hadn't seen since leaving with Tyreen. It was beautiful in a tragic sort of way, the cracked planet stuck as the Eridian’s had left it.

Typhon’s voice hit his ears, a familiar sound he didn't realize he missed hearing until now. “Yeah...listen. I know what’s been goin’ on out there. Troy and Tyreen, my kids, well...they became monsters. No other way to say it. And you’re a Vault Hunter. You kill monsters. Simple as that.” Hearing his dad call him a monster hurt more than he thought it would. He had accepted that his dad thought him a freak, but hearing that confirmed? It stung. 

“Uh...no, Troy isn’t actually dead,” Zane explained. From behind, Lilith placed a hand on Troy’s shoulder. He looked at her and saw her offering her ECHO with her free hand. Troy instinctually reached for it, holding it in front of his face and speaking before his brain could form any complex sentences.

“Hey pops...”

“Troy?” Typhon’s speech was hurried as if he was excited to hear his son’s voice again. “You mean...”

Troy sighed, “Yeah, this isn’t the first time Tyreen’s been wrong about something.”

“Why does she think you’re dead?” Typhon’s honest question took Troy for a loop. Not because it was surprising to hear, but because thinking about it, it was odd that his sister wouldn't know he was alive. He helped her hack the Vault Hunters’ ECHOs to hear whatever conversations they needed to gain an edge. The fact that she hadn't used them at all since he was brought onto Sanctuary was cocky at worst or weird at best. Troy’s thoughts got the better of him, as they had been doing recently, leaving him silent as someone else made assumptions about his sister, that someone being Amara.

“She assumed we were as heartless as she is.”

“That we would ignore a valuable asset and dispose of it when we were done.” Moze added, showing that she was still unsure about keeping Troy alive.

“Asset? So you’re helping out Vault Hunters now?” his dad’s thoughts this time around were easier to parse.

“Kinda,” Troy shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t really know why I’m still here. The Vault Hunters showed me mercy but...did I even deserve it?” He trails off, forgetting his decision to keep his inner monologues to himself.

“Moonlight...don’t say that about yourself. Of course you do,” his father comforted, using a pet name he’d almost forgotten completely.

He smiled weakly, “Thanks dad but...”

From the other side of the bridge, Tannis spoke, her voice overlapped between the room and her projected ECHO voice, “As touching as this might end up being, do you think we can hold off the rest of this reunion for later? We still have to get the Vault key.”

“You’re right,” Typhon agreed, as Troy eyed Tannis from afar. “Troy, get your keister down to Nekrotafeyo. Sparrow and Grouse will keep you company until we get there. I’m sure they’d love to see you again.”

Troy had forgotten a lot of things about home. One of those things being his dad’s robots. He didn't hate them, they were like a second and third sibling, they just had a way of acting that Troy was quick to forget once he left. “Right...” he muttered into the ECHO, handing it back to Lilith. He looked out the window one last time, taking a deep breath as he prepared to return to his father.

~~~~~

Troy was sitting on a work table littered with random robotic parts. Grouse was hovering next to him while he did his best to ignore Sparrow’s incessant talking from his other side. The robot did go quiet once the fast travel station lit up and formed his father’s likeness. Troy hopped to his feet, staring as his father turned to him and smiled. “Dad...” his voice was almost a whisper.

“Moonlight...” Typhon gleamed, speeding over to his son as fast as he could for his age. With outstretched arms, he pulled Troy into an embrace.

“Uh, I’m not really a hugger,” Troy admitted while hesitantly tapping his dad on his back.

“Well, I am. You should know that by now,” Typhon gripped a bit tighter before respecting his son’s boundaries. The two stared at each other, thoughts of years gone by and missed filling their heads until Troy let them out after so long.

“Look, dad...I wanna say I’m sorry. When me and Ty left...I thought we were all gonna get off this planet together. She lied to me and made us leave without you. We never gave you a proper goodbye and-”

Typhon shushed his son. “No Troy. You have nothing to be sorry for. How you and Tyreen ended up, that’s on me. And I might’ve doomed the whole universe, but I can’t let that be how my story ends. After your mother died, I was so scared I’d lose you kids too. So I kept you here, thought you’d be happy. But you kept staring up at that sky full of stars you'd never reach, stars your pops gotta visit. To me, this planet was enough. The reward at the end of my hunt. To you, it was just a cage. I see that now. When me and your mother saw you two’s tattoos, we knew we had to protect you. Sirens! The rarest thing in the universe. And there were two of ‘em in our arms. The only way to keep you safe was to stay here, forever. I may have been a first-rate adventurer but I was a third rate pops. I filled your heads with stories without thinking what they might do to you when you’re stuck in one place your whole life. And like I always say, stories can be dangerous in the wrong hands. I’m not asking you to forgive me, I just want to know if we can work together to help your sister for now. We can work on forgiveness after.” True to his character, Typhon can ramble yet manage to stay coherent. Troy nods at his father’s suggestion.

“Yeah...I like that idea.”

From Troy’s left spouted Sparrow, “Familial reconciliation for the win!”

Grouse groaned and mumbled something unintelligible.

Troy wasn't exactly paying attention to the fast travel station once his dad stepped through, so when he looked up and saw four Vault Hunters standing by, he was surprised only briefly, returning his attention back to his father who had begun asking him a question.

“Son? I’ve gotta ask. You’ve been by Tyreen’s side since you were kids. Now, she drops you like a hot turd and you saddled up with some Vault Hunters with no trouble. Why’d you do it?”

Troy reached for the nape of his neck, “Well...my heart wasn’t ever really in it. ‘It’ being all that stuff Tyreen did. I had to go along with everything she did because I would die otherwise. She wanted to become a god? Then I did too, even if I actually didn’t. Then I finally got a taste of freedom by...killing a Siren...Maya.” His voice leaked a hint of remorse when he spoke her name. “I got her powers and they made me more than just Ty’s follower. But she took it as a challenge. She almost killed me for telling her what she did wrong! So when we were at our last leg...I did what I thought I had to. And that last-ditch effort involved me kinda betraying her. Now, to her, I’m just a traitor parasite who she left to die. But the Vault Hunters didn’t let that happen. They gave me a second chance at being Troy Calypso. And now I get to try and stop my sister before she kills us all.”

Since his interrogation, Troy had time to self examine. Those crumbling walls he ignored were finally given much-needed attention. He knew for the longest time that Tyreen would discard him if she could. She let her facade slip occasionally and didn't do a good job of fixing it when he confronted her. At the time, even if his mind refused to acknowledge it, his betrayal was equal parts retribution, frantic reaction, and recklessness. But if all his sister could see was the retribution, then he would try to make her understand the rest.

He knew that the Vault Hunters weren't like his sister. But she damaged the part of him that let him trust others at face value. Sure, the Vault Hunters showed him mercy, but to him, it had to be a part of their game, some sort of trap, because that’s all he knew with Tyreen. They wouldn't show kindness to their enemy unless they had some ulterior motive. Then Amara offered to risk herself being dusted to keep him alive, gave him an old jacket she had lying around, and he realized that maybe he could trust them, even if it was just a little. And if he could learn to trust someone he was forced to be enemies with in the past, then he could get his sister to trust him again.

From the group of Vault Hunters, Moze chortled, “I see he got his father’s rambling capabilities.”

Troy would have gotten defensive, but his father’s light-hearted chuckle assuaged him. Typhon’s laugh was undercut by the question proceeding it. “After all that, you still wanna save Tyreen?”

Troy looked at his father, face turning serious where it hadn't before. “She’s my sister. I love her and I’m not about to let her destroy the universe without trying to make her see her mistakes.” Troy paused, noticing the glances he was being given from around the room. He knew what they knew. The last time he tried to make Tyreen see her mistakes, she strangled him. He cleared his throat, “Even if it went badly the first time,” making sure everyone knew he wasn't oblivious to his previous actions.

Typhon exhaled heavily, “Troy, sometimes it’s best to let things go. Your sister...like I said before, she’s a monster. And Vault Hunters kill monsters.”

“She’s not a monster yet!” Troy lashed out. He may have accepted his own monstrous status, but he wasn't going to let his sister get the same treatment. He glowered at his father, who looked up at him, frightened.

“Moonlight...I’m sorry. We’ll...try and talk to Tyreen. Maybe we can save her.” Typhon’s expression, while not saying much to anyone else, said a lot to Troy. It was soft and deeply apologetic. It made Troy realize a fact he had buried behind years of insecurities. His father didn't think he was a freak or a monster. It seemed so obvious now, staring into his eyes after hearing him give an apology for calling his sister one. He spent so long telling himself his own self-image issues were because of his father that it became true in his mind regardless of what was real. But with his walls gone, he could see that it was all to justify leaving someone he cared about. It was an unfair characterization of the man who raised and loved him. 

He would have been brought to tears if his ability to emote in such a way wasn't stinted by his ECHOnet persona. Instead, he managed to keep them in as his father changed the subject with ease, something the two of them shared.

“Nice jacket. So you’re a Vault Hunter now, huh son? You always were my little shadow.”

The jacket in question was a sleeveless denim one, fit for Amara but a few sizes too small to cover his chest up, not that he needed it buttoned up since his previous coat was always open. On the back was the bedazzled word Siren, and an image of a tiger’s head. Amara had said it was a sentimental piece she had before being branded the Tiger of Partali. Regardless of the value, personal or otherwise, Troy appreciated the gesture. And even if it did belong to a Vault Hunter, it took more than clothes to make the man. 

Troy managed to keep this short and simple. “I’m not a Vault Hunter. At least, I don’t think I am.”

“Then what are you?” Typhon wondered in a tone that almost sounded skeptical.

“Uh...an ally? It’s a working relationship. We’ll have to wait and see.”

“Seems like everything is a lot of waiting and seeing now,” Typhon embellished with his usual feel-good speech patterns.

Troy shrugged, “You’re not wrong about that. Pretty sure that’s just what happens when you switch sides.”

The fast travel station lit up again, which would have been unexpected had there been no warning as to who was showing up. The lights fade and standing in their place is Tannis, dusting herself off before scanning the room only to land on Typhon. “Sorry I’m a little late. I had to get some last-minute prep done before I came down.”

“So this is the scientist that was shouting at me earlier.” Typhon greeted her with a handshake as she aggressively pulled on it.

“Patricia Tannis, Typhon. Your biggest fan. I can still call you Typhon, correct?”

Troy inhaled and caught a whiff of, what he assumed was, a strong perfume due to its flowery scent. It was almost overwhelming, causing him to let out a short cough. “Woah, lady. Think you overdid it with the perfume?” he swatted the air in front of his face, causing Tannis to furrow her brow.

“I see why you’re not a catch with women.”

Zane, who was sitting on a box near the center of the room, spoke up, ever the most talkative of the Vault Hunters. “Word of advice, fella? Always compliment them. It’s the only way to avoid being kicked in yer bollocks.”

“Well I think you smell lovely,” Typhon smiled, causing Tannis’ face to heat up

She turned away bashfully, “Oh stop it, we have more pressing issues to attend to.”

“See?” Zane teased, causing Troy to roll his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to take romantic advice from an old man. Though he wouldn't exactly be against any in the future perhaps.

~~~~~

The Vault Hunters, Lilith, Ava, Tannis, and Typhon stood around the Machine’s activation console, watching as the alien device flashed in the distance. Tannis, being the expert on Eridians, watched with focused confusion. “The Vaults are all connected but the Machine hasn’t activated yet. Pandora is still opening,” she said to the group around her, hoping to get a helpful suggestion that might solve the problem she voiced.

“Perhaps it needs a Siren’s touch,” Lilith offered, which Tannis took up with no hesitation.

“Ah! Then touch it I shall! As the nihilist said on his deathbed, here goes nothing!” She reached out her hand and grasped the console. Almost instantly, she muttered with shaking breaths, “I understand now.” The Machine flashed to life, twisting and turning in bright crimson and gold.

“Holy Baloney...would ya look at that!” Typhon marveled along with everyone else.

“Tannis, you all right?” Lilith asked in worried tones.

“Yes!” Tannis answered. “So much power...and I am the conduit!”

“Pandora’s closing!” Ava shouted in excitement.

Lilith clenched her fists with anticipation. “All right! It’s working!”

From over the ECHO, Tyreen butted in, ruining the moment. “Yeah...I’m gonna have to put a stop to that.”

The empty ruins below the console were quickly filled with cultists as Tyreen used her stolen phasewalk abilities. “COV Incoming!” Lilith shouted out. “Ava, keep them off Tannis!” she ordered.

“On it!” Ava crouched and cast a barrier around her and Tannis.

Lilith looked to the Vault Hunters as the shouting bandits started their assault. “This is it. You know what to do, Killers.”

“I’m with ya, Vault Hunters!” Typhon jeered, whipping a bandit and pulling himself in their direction before shooting them dead. The Vault Hunters and Lilith followed suit, dropping to the COV’s level and letting all hell break loose.

“End of the road, superfans! For you, anyway,” Tyreen teased as her followers were mowed down one by one. With no regard for her cultists’ well being, she continued speaking, showing herself to be a real daughter of Typhon DeLeon with a story of her own. “When Troy and I were kids we’d stare up at the night sky and dream of becoming stars. The brightest in the galaxy, Troy always said.”

“Starlight! Don’t do this!” Typhon cried as a bullet deflected off his shield and into a random bandit.

“So we left this place behind. Went to Pandora to become Vault Hunters ourselves. We’d open the Vault of Vaults and become the biggest stars in the galaxy.” 

“Tyreen, listen to me! This won’t end the way you think it will! Trust me!” Typhon backed off to take a breather, watching as a flock of rakk took a bandit high into the air only to drop him.

“They seem so small now, our dreams. Not befitting of a god. Now I’m gonna devour every last star, one by one until nothing shines...but me.”

~~~~~

Troy was given an ECHO from his father before they left for the Machine. He chose to stay in his father’s base simply because he didn't feel a need to take up room. After all, he had no powers, no guns, and no money to buy a gun. What was he going to be able to do? Bleed to death? Even if he could fight, he had done enough after all the years on Pandora. No, he'd rather be out of the way and listening in via ECHO. Based on the sounds of bandits screeching and commands from the Vault Hunters, he figured they had things handled. Then his sister’s voice blasted through.

She was cocky with no hint of emotion apart from pride, just how he remembered. He was frustrated with her. Even after all she did, how she treated him, the only difference in her behavior seemed to be how much more angry she was. Maybe Troy was her anchor and with him gone she was free to act of her own accord. Troy internally laughed at the thought of himself being an anchor. After all, things that are true are often funny.

He managed to tune out most of the fighting and words of his sister. But one phrase caught his attention. “When Troy and I were kids we’d stare up at the night sky and dream of becoming stars. The brightest in the galaxy, Troy always said.” That was true, he did say that. Being stuck on Nekrotafeyo only left them wanting some other life. And if they couldn't actually leave then they could dream.

“So we left this place behind. Went to Pandora to become Vault Hunters ourselves. We’d open the Vault of Vaults and become the biggest stars in the galaxy.” Troy knew to follow his father’s legacy and the legacy of previous Vault Hunters, they would have to do something big. Something that would ripple across the galaxy. And opening the Great Vault would bring them accolades beyond that of any other Vault Hunters from the past and even the future.

“They seem so small now, our dreams. Not befitting of a god. Now I’m gonna devour every last star, one by one until nothing shines...but me.” It was here that Troy knew he had to get involved. The Machine could stop the Great Vault from opening and Tyreen was not about to let that happen, especially without getting involved personally. He knew his sister and if she didn't stop the Machine with her own hands it would have been an empty victory to her.

He strapped the ECHO to his belt and bolted towards the entrance to the Machine. He was going to get his sister to back down any way he could. And if that meant running straight into the fire, then so be it.

~~~~~

“Almost..done...” Tannis exhorted, the energy she was putting into the Machine beyond her comprehension, which was saying something.

Above the battlefield, Tyreen phased into the air, causing Lilith to point to her. “She’s here. Hold off the bandits, Killers!” the Siren bellowed running towards the barrier. “Hang on Ava!” Typhon followed behind her, the two entering the protective barrier.

They watched as Tyreen rolled her eyes and vanished, teleporting above the console mere seconds later. “S’up?” she said before slamming her fist into the glowing device, sending a shockwave over the group, hitting each of them with enough intensity to drop them to the ground. With the Machine no longer charging and the barrier gone, Tyreen pulled a single red crystal from inside the mechanism Tannis was interfacing with. “Aw, this for me?” she joked before crushing it in her bare hand. She watched the toppled faces silently as the battle between Vault Hunters and bandits rages on behind. She smiled devilishly at Lilith, ready to take them all out once and for all when a shout drew her attention elsewhere.

From the entrance, Troy barreled in. “Ty!” he yelled, running at full speed in her direction.

“Oh, would you look at that! The traitor is actually alive and working with the Vault Thieves. Figures.” Troy opened his arms as if to catch her, only for her to disappear, leaving Troy to stumble his way to a stop. Just as he got his footing, Tyreen reappeared gripping her brother by the throat and floating the two of them off the ground, the metal fingers of Troy’s prosthetic scraping the stonework below. “Haven’t we done this before, Troy? I’m over it.”

Troy reached for his neck as his sister constricted his airway. He pleaded voicelessly, her grip increasing in strength. Before Troy could pass out, a glowing whip wrapped around Tyreen’s neck, taking her by surprise and pulling her down. Troy fell to the ground gasping for air as Tyreen grabbed the whip and stared at the one holding it with intense rage. “Hiya, Starlight,” Typhon grumbled.

Tyreen tried to pull the whip off but was unable to do so due to the electric shocks coming from it. “Let me go!”

Typhon shook his head. “Nuh-uh. I let you go once, and see how that turned out?”

“You scared old man!” Tyreen mustered the strength to stand. “This is your fault! You kept us here when the universe should have been ours!” She grasped the whip and pulled herself forward, ignoring the pain just to get closer to her father.

“I gave you what I could.”

“I don’t care!” Tyreen screamed. “I’m gonna take what’s mine!” She did her signature move and grabbed her father by his neck ready to siphon him out of existence.

Troy, having recovered, and only sore, looked up from the floor to see Typhon in the same situation he was in mere seconds ago. The only difference was that Typhon was holding a grenade in his hand, unbeknownst to Tyreen. “I’m sorry, Starlight.” He whispered, pushing the grenade’s priming button. The explosion pushed Typhon to the ground, right beside his son, but didn’t dissipate like normal. Instead, the explosion was held stationary in the air, kept as such by Tyreen’s Siren powers. She struggled to keep it contained compressing the fire and shrapnel into a fist-sized point.

Troy, recognizing what was about to happen just in time, used what energy he had and jumped in the direction of his father. “Dad!” he exclaimed, metal arm outstretched to shield the two of them as much as possible, just as Tyreen sent the explosion in their direction. While his bulky arm protected some of their more vulnerable parts, the shrapnel still managed to impale them both, leaving Troy and Typhon crumpled and bleeding in the ground.

Tyreen looked around the frightened faces below her one last time before turning her nose up and phasing out of the room. The white noise that was the fighting from the battlefield abruptly ended as the bandits disappeared along with Tyreen, leaving the Vault Hunters to regroup with the others. As the four hurried up the stairs to their companions, Troy groaned and separated from his father.

Typhon managed a weak laugh, “Heh...I guess that arm of yours has more than one use.”

“Typhon,” Lilith fumbled to her feet and crouched over Typhon.

Troy helped his father sit up against the large stone support behind him. While both of them were bleeding, Troy’s wounds were minor and only coming from his leg and back. Typhon’s injuries were worse, however, his abdomen leaking an unsettling amount of blood. “My arm took most of the blow, but...” Troy looked to his father, worry beginning to set in.

“You can’t stop every bit.” Typhon winced as he leaned his head back. “Look, you gotta stop her...I’m not moving any time soon and you're the only ones who can. Don't let her end our legacy. Don’t be the last Vault Hunters.”

“We won’t,” Lilith assured, standing up fully and looking to the Vault Hunters. “Pandora’s gonna be ripped apart. And if Tyreen leeches the Destroyer, that’ll be the least of our problems. We have to stop her. Troy bought us our lives but we’re running out of last chances.” She looked at Troy from the corner of her eye, acknowledging him for his part in keeping Tyreen distracted.

Tannis spoke next, suggesting an almost foolproof plan, “Lilith, I may have a shortcut to where Tyreen went. This machine works across interstellar distances. There must be a way...” she examined the Machine controls briefly, exclaiming after a few moments. “Yes! I can use the connection to Pandora to form a portal.”

Lilith let out a sigh of relief, “Killers, we'd be dead a thousand times over if it wasn’t for you guys. I’ve been telling myself I still belonged on the front lines but...a leader needs to know when to stand aside and let a soldier do their job. This is your fight. Do us proud.” The Vault Hunters nodded together, knowing full well they couldn't do anything other than that.

“It worked!” Tannis smirked as an opening through space-time ripped through the air in front of them. “It seems I can add ‘time and space’ to the long list of things I have mastery over!”

“It’s time. The destroyer is escaping. You ready?” Lilith asked the Vault Hunters.

Moze lifted her gun to her chest, “We’d never run from a fight, Commander.”

“Alright,” Lilith stared at the portal, recognizing the Pandoran landscape on the other side of it. “This ends on Pandora one way or the other. Head through the portal and find Tyreen. We’ll see you on the other side.”

“Wait!” Troy shouted as the Vault Hunters inched toward the portal. He brought himself to stand as quickly as possible, putting as little pressure on his injured leg as possible. “I’m coming with you.”

Amara looked at him with a quizzical expression. “Are you sure? You don’t have a weapon or anything to defend yourself with. You could-“

“I don’t need to,” Troy interrupted. “I’m not gonna hurt her.”

Zane exhaled, “Mate, I don’t think she’s in a negotiating mood.”

Troy clenched a fist. “I don’t care! This is my last chance to save her! I’m not throwing it away!” The Vault Hunters weren’t used to emotional outbursts, as most of them were good at keeping ahold of them. Because of this, they stayed quiet, looking for any help among the faces surrounding them. That help came from Typhon, still bleeding but conscious.

“Let him go. He’s a smart kid. He’ll know how to stop her.” No one chose to argue with the First Vault Hunter. It might have even been considered blasphemy in certain places.

Troy looked to his father, squatting down and embracing him. “See you later, dad.”

“I thought you weren’t a hugger?” Typhon teased.

Troy chuckled, ending the hug. “Yeah well...people can change.”

~~~~~

“Tyreen!” his voice echoed across the barren platform as he limped his way across the sand-covered ground. Tyreen was far ahead, but stopped but refused to turn to her brother.

“God, Troy. Why are you the hardest _and_ the most annoying guy to kill!”

Troy hurried his pace, noticing how close she was to the edge of a cliff. “Because I need to talk to you.”

This was enough to cause her to turn in a flurry of anger. “Bullcrap!” she cried, eyeing the looming Vault Hunters in the distance behind Troy. “You’re here to distract me long enough for the Vault Thieves to get the drop on me. Not gonna happen.”

Tyreen stepped backward, heels at the edge of the platform. She extended her arms, ready to fall back. “Ty, please!” Troy lunged with unprecedented speed, forgetting the pain in his leg, managing to grab his sister’s tattooed arm with his large metal hand.

“Let me go!” she groaned, trying to shake her brother’s grip.

“I can’t. Not before I talk to you.”

Tyreen growled, “We’re done talking! We talked nonstop for years and look where that led us. To you betraying me and me having to accomplish our dream alone.” From the glowing purple chasm below, tentacles thrashed reaching up towards Tyreen like a begging animal. 

“It wasn’t our dream. It was yours. My dream was to become a star, a celebrity. And I got to be one with our ECHOstream. Your dream was to destroy the universe. I can’t let that happen.”

Tyreen tried pulling herself away, but all she managed was inching back a few inches, one of her feet slipping off briefly. Troy kept holding on like a vice, keeping her steady, despite protests from his aching body. “And why not?” she spit out. “Who in this godforsaken universe is worth saving? Every person on every planet is either a money-grubbing asshole, a bandit, or a corporate stooge. None of them are even worth the air they breathe.”

Troy was hurt by this since his sister didn't even bother mentioning him. “What about me?”

“That was the fucking point, you idiot!” She screeched, her voice breaking almost undetectably. “You were the only one worth saving! But you nearly killed me and started working with the enemy. Now you’re just like everyone else.”

“I’m not your enemy Ty. I’m your brother. I don’t want you to become a monster.”

“Being a monster was all I could be once I killed mom! Just let me do this.” She jerked back a second time, her foot touching the tip of an alien tentacle worming its way up the cliff face.

“Why are you so sure?” Troy pleaded. “I thought I was just a freak for the longest time. Now that I left...I can be whatever I want. You don’t have to destroy the universe just to be free Ty.”

“That’s not why I’m doing this.”

“Then why?” Troy questioned, desperation evident in his voice. He was getting nowhere and his sister’s constant struggle only worsened his worry.

“Because it’s my birthright! Because I’m the only one in the universe who can become a god. Why would I waste that power when I’m so close?”

“Because...because...” Troy didn't have an answer to that. He never had to think about it until now. And even as he tried to come up with any reason to stop her...he couldn't. She didn't have foolproof logic, far from it, but she had justifiable reasoning and that was enough to stump him. After all, none of his other tactics worked, and he was starting to run out of those.

“Exactly. So let me go.”

Even if he couldn't argue against her, he wasn't going to let her doom the universe. “No!”

Tyreen grumbled. “Damnit, Troy! Just-“

“No! Ty, look at me!” Troy ordered in as stern a voice he could muster. It threw Tyreen off, her angry scowl morphing into concern. Troy took her reaction as a sign that his final tactic was on the path to working. “Drop the act. Drop the persona I know you’ve had on for all the years we’ve been on Pandora. Show me Tyreen Calypso, the real one. The one that I looked up to, the one who shared a dream with me to become famous, the one who wasn’t afraid to be attached to people. Show me the sister I love and care about.”

Tyreen turned away from her brother but shuffled her feet forward enough to avoid the tentacle now grappling at the floor. Tyreen sighed, “I don’t think she’s alive anymore...”

Troy couldn't keep the corner of his lip from rising. “And I don’t believe that,” he assured, close to pulling his sister into a hug once she saw the error of her ways.

Tyreen stepped forward, taking ahold of the metal of Troy’s arm with her free one, to pull herself from the edge a few inches more. “Troy?” She looked into her brother’s near tearful eyes. With a slight tug of his arm, and balancing on her tiptoes, she leaned into Troy’s ears, her voice a whisper compared to her normal tone. “You never should have told me how to disconnect this.”

Troy’s eyes widened but before he could react, Tyreen had already disconnected Troy’s arm at its shoulder. She leaned back on her heels, closing her eyes. “Ty, no!” Troy frantically reached for any part of her person to stop her fall, but he wasn’t quick enough. His sister fell onto the purple mass of flailing appendages, Troy watching helplessly as she disappeared. Stunned at his sister’s actions, he didn't move. It wasn't until a large indiscernible form reached from below, grasping at the ground and hoisting itself onto his level.

“Troy! Get back!” the voice of Amara sounded in his eardrums as he finally comprehended the hulking beast towering over him.

“It’s time the Vault Hunters do what they do best,” Moze scowled at the creature, already pointing her gun barrel in its direction.

“Kill monsters?” FL4K asked almost rhetorically.

“Yep. And this one in particular,” Zane confirms, reading his drone.

Troy was silent, backing up all while staring at the monster. Its massive legs were animal, holding up a headless torso flanked by muscled arms with tentacled fingers instead of hands, and from its back, skeletal wings sprouted. It disgusted him to even look at, but he had yet to find a reason to look away. It wasn't long when that came.

The center of the beast’s torso bloomed like a hideous flower, revealing its most horrifying aspect. Tyreen, scarred and disfigured on half her body, stuck out like an angler’s flail, taunting Troy. He watched in abject terror as her milky eyes scanned the area before landing on him. Troy couldn't look any longer. He turned away and hobbled as quickly as he could to safety. He heard the creature screech, and he swore he heard his sister’s voice in it. He refused to check behind him again, trying to ignore the sounds of gunfire and the unmistakable grunts of Tyreen.

The closest piece of cover he could use to protect himself was a boulder near the drop that was the entrance. He cowered behind it dropping to the floor like a ton of bricks. He leaned his back against the rock, watching the sand blow across his feet. He didn't want to think about what was happening behind him, but the noises made that improbable.

Tyreen was...a monster. He punched the ground as he admitted that to himself. Deep inside, he knew it was true, but the truth didn't matter. He thought his sister was more than that, more than a bully, more than a manipulator. But the amalgamation of her and the Destroyer stomping around out of his visual field made it impossible for him to see anything but a monster anymore. The Destroyer ruined his sister, and the fact that the Vault Hunters were holding their own against that kind of strength caused a revelation that angered him even more.

The Destroyer, a being of incomprehensible power, was never going to be siphoned by one Siren. It took the combined power of six and the destruction of an entire galactic race to contain it in a planet-sized prison. Tyreen was never going to be strong enough. In the end, the Destroyer was the true manipulator, tempting Tyreen with a power she was never meant to have.

If only he could have stopped her, changed her mind. If only he hadn't been reckless and betrayed her. He shook with pent up emotions until he couldn't keep them in anymore. He wept, silently at first, but the tears became too much to handle in such a way. He tried to wipe them with his hand but most of them fell and stained his pants. His sister deserved better. She didn't deserve being turned into a mindless monster. She didn't deserve anything good, but this was much too far.

He didn't know how long he was crying, but a sudden jolt from the ground underneath him was enough for him to pause. He wiped the remaining tears away, sniffling as he heard excited hollering behind his boulder. Turning around, he saw the crumpled body of Tyreen the Destroyer, the Vault Hunters celebrating their victory over her.

It was bittersweet. His sister was dead now, dead at the hands of a monster that cared not for what it destroyed. She died chasing a dream that was doomed to fail. The universe was cruel. He stood up, ready to say his final goodbye. “Ty...” he muttered, hopping with his injured leg in her direction. From behind, the other half of the Nekrotafeyo expedition dropped down. Lilith, Ava, Tannis, and Typhon, all in various states of injury stopped at Troy’s side. Lilith mouthed the words, ‘I’m sorry’ at Troy, most likely in reference to his sister. He nodded, sighing as he continued walking towards the Vault Hunters and their defeated opponent.

Lilith reached Tyreen before him, about to speak, when a red glow shot out of her fallen body. The floating light hit Lilith’s chest, startling her. Her body radiated with energy, revealing her orange angel-like wings from her back. The Vault Hunters whooped and hollered even more as the Commander did her best to stay cool under pressure. Troy stepped to her side, patting her on the shoulder. “Congrats, Firehawk,” he smiled weakly, the body of his sister still present making it hard to feel any sense of second-hand pride.

Troy took one final step towards his sister, close enough to touch the monstrous figure. He placed his hand on the torso, closing his eyes. “Goodbye, Ty,” his voice was sheepish. He lifted his hand away, hoping his mourning didn't kill the mood.

The confused voice of Lilith made him believe he had, for only a moment, however. “Uh...what the hell...?” Troy was about to apologize when he noticed an orb of a deep shade of red, floating towards him. He stared at it as it stopped in front of him before entering his chest. His body filled with warmth, one he remembered feeling when sharing energy with Tyreen. He looked at his tattoos, now glowing. He knew what that meant, at least if the voice in his head was anything to go off of.

“Don't mess this up a second time,” the familiar voice of his sister spoke.

He smirked, “You got it, man.” With that, his sister’s body began fading into dust. Troy brought his fist to his chest before turning around to the now dumbfounded audience surrounding him.

Lilith was the first to break the silence, “Troy. Was that...”

“Are you a Siren now?” Ava asked, wonderment in her voice.

Typhon shook his head. “Nope. He always was.” That warmed Troy’s heart even more. He figured his father always thought him a Siren but hearing it confirmed for the first time put all his insecurities at ease. He was never a freak. He was always special.

Troy decided now was the best time to start keeping his ego in check. He accepted his father’s words but didn't want to take all the attention. “Hey, I'm not the only one who got powers,” he gestured towards Lilith.

The Commander smiled, “It...it feels good to be back.”

“So it’s over,” Ava remarked.

Unfortunately, Tannis wasn't quick to confirm her assumption. “Not...entirely,” the scientist stared at the moon still hurtling towards Pandora. “The Great Vault is still opening. Elpis is tearing Pandora apart.”

“How do we stop it?” Ava asked with frantic breaths.

“Very simple,” Tannis shrugged, “We can’t. Not unless you know a way to remove the moon from the sky.”

There were no suggestions thrown around. None of the people present had powers that could do such a momentous act. Lilith clenched her fist, lifting it to her face. “Run towards the fire.” Everyone looked to the Commander in confusion. Then it hit them. “Sanctuary’s yours Ava. Be ready,” Lilith flashed one last crooked smile before launching into the air, her Siren wings carrying her with ease.

“What does Lilith think she’s doing?” Tannis exclaimed as Lilith’s figure grew smaller and smaller the higher up she went through the atmosphere.”

“Closing the Great Vault,” Ava said, her wistful words dripping out automatically. “She’s saving Pandora.”

“That could kill her!” Tannis shouted, glancing at the others present as if half expecting them to join her.

Ava, however, continued to watch Lilith’s now microscopic figure. “She knows. She’s the Firehawk.”

The group of Vault Hunters and company stared into the cracked surface of Elpis, turning away when a blinding flash brighter than the sun pulsed through the sky. It lasted longer than expected, dissipating half a minute later. Opening their eyes, they were greeted by the Firehawk emblazoned on the surface of the moon, the mark of a Vault Hunter, a Crimson Raider, and a Commander.

“She’s gone,” Tannis said, almost moping.

“Not entirely,” Ava smiled, admiring the intricate flaming design. “She’s lighting the way.”

“So what do we do now?” Moze asked as if she forgot Lilith had presumably sacrificed herself.

Tannis sighed, but answered, “Well, I know you Vault Hunters love your loot, and this is still a Vault after all. Feel free to check it out and take whatever isn't nailed down, as you tend to do regardless of where you are.”

“Sweet! Can’t wait to get me hands on some cool new guns,” Zane spoke, leading his comrades toward the opening Vault door.

“We should be heading back to Sanctuary,” Tannis suggested, “there might be some important information Lilith left behind.”

“Agreed,” Ava added.

“Don't forget to drag me along,” Typhon joked, clutching his wounded abdomen. Tannis and Ava had already started walking, and Typhon was following behind, however slowly. But Troy had basically stayed still. The First Vault Hunter hobbled over to his son, who was staring at the Firehawk emblem.

“Troy.” He poked the Siren with the handle of his whip, “We’re headed back to the ship. You coming?”

Troy nodded, “Yeah, dad...I’m just...thinking.”

“Moonlight...do you want to talk about it?”

“Nah. It’s too raw right now. Maybe later.”

Typhon didn't push further. “Alright then. Let me know if you want to talk though. I’m not leaving you anytime soon.” He gave his son one last pat on the back before heading after Tannis and Ava.

“Yeah. I will.” Troy probably should have talked with someone. The last couple of hours were a lot to process all alone, and while he planned on talking to his father about it, it could wait. At that moment, he just wanted to take a breather. He wanted to enjoy the first moment of peace in Pandora’s history.

~~~~~

Troy sat at the glowing neon bar aboard Sanctuary. The stool he was on was the closest to the wall, something he could lean on if the need arose. He twirled a half-filled glass with his fingers, staring with vacant eyes as the loose contents splashed against the container. He hadn't taken a sip since he ordered the drink, and he wasn't sure he wanted to anymore. Alcohol wasn't his thing, but he felt like the occasion called for some.

“You've been staring at that for a while now sugar,” the head of the bar commented, placing herself in front of the moping man. “Don't tell me it didn't satisfy you, that would break my heart.”

Troy peaked up briefly, before shaking his head. “Nah, I...I know it’s like a thing people do when someone they love dies but...I don't really drink.”

“Then why come down to my bar?” Moxxi gave him a sly smile, “It wasn't just to see me right?”

Troy’s face heated up, “N-no, I just like the atmosphere.”

Moxxi let out a flirtatious chuckle, “Well, if you keep paying me, maybe I can give a little something extra.”

Troy’s mouth went dry. “I uh...look, I've only just got these Siren powers and barely know what they do and I know Ty had problems with getting laid since she always killed them and I don't wanna-”

“Quit scarin’ him, Ma,” Troy heard the voice and could see from the corner of his eye it came Ellie. She walked up to a barstool and sat down, “Don't mind her Troy. She hits on everybody who walks in here. And she only sleeps with a handful of them.”

“It makes them feel special,” Moxxi explained. “Plus they give me more tips if I do.” She pulled out a glass and a liquor bottle from underneath the bar, pouring some out, and sliding them both to Ellie.

Troy exhaled in relief. Sure he might have been famous, but that didn't mean he could take flirting from people easily. “Thanks. I do feel special after that.”

“So, Troy,” Ellie began, taking a swig from her glass. “Are you here for your pops?”

Troy nodded solemnly, “Yeah.”

Ellie looked to her mother then back to Troy. “I'm sorry for your loss.”

Moxxi frowned. Combined with her dripping mascara, it gave her words heaviness that wouldn't have been there otherwise. “We know how hard it must be to lose your family. Especially someone who deserved better.” The bartender pulled out another glass, swiping the bottle she handed to Ellie and pouring herself a drink. “How about a toast?” She lifted the glass in the air, followed by Ellie doing the same. Troy hesitated at first but gave in rather quickly.

“To Scooter,” Ellie said.

Troy didn't know who that was but figured it was a family member. He decided to choose one of his own, “To Typhon.”

Troy expected Moxxi to choose Scooter as well, but she didn't. “To our space cowboys,” she spoke, clinking her glass with his and Ellie’s. Before Troy could ruminate on what a space cowboy was, the two ladies took a sip of their drinks, leaving him the only one to have yet to do so. He eyed the contents before bringing the glass to his lips. He closed his eyes and chugged the liquid, wincing internally as the alcohol burned his throat. As the ice touched his upper lip, he slammed the glass down on the counter, coughing to remove the lingering tingle of his esophagus.

“Whoo,” the word falling out of his mouth without any input from his brain. “I might regret that later.”

Ellie chuckled, “Dang, Troy, you trying to impress a couple of hillbillies?”

“I've swallowed much worse,” Moxxi teased, causing her daughter to groan in disgust.

Troy laughed for the first time that day. It felt nice, forgetting about his father’s last moments, even for a brief moment.

Moxxi smirked and turned her attention to the door, rolling her eyes as she saw who was entering. “You better not be in here to steal my tips again”

“Hey, Moxxi...you knew that was me?” the teenage voice of Ava came tinted with a hint of hesitation as if she was afraid of incriminating herself.

“I do now.”

“Dammit,” Ava cursed. “Well, that’s not why I'm here. I wanted to talk...to Troy...alone.”

Moxxi shrugged, already shuffling over to the other side of the bar. “He’s all yours.” Ellie flashed a confused look before following her mother’s lead.

“Thanks,” Ava gleamed, before losing her chipper attitude when turning to Troy. “So...Troy...”

“Ava...” he said almost like a question.

“You killed Maya,” she blurted out with no lead-up.

Troy’s eyes widened, “O-okay, starting off strong there.”

“And ever since Lilith and the Vault Hunters brought you onto the ship I’ve just wanted to...punch you in the face so hard!” she clenched her fists, keeping her anger contained.

Troy nodded in understanding, “I appreciate the honesty.”

“Now before I say this,” Ava started, “I want you to know I still want to hit you.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m sorry you lost your dad.”

“Oh...” Troy didn't think he would ever hear Ava give him anything but hatred. “That’s not what I expected from you at all.”

“Yeah well...I know how much losing someone you care about hurts. And while I do feel bad for you, you’re also the one that hurt me so...they cancel each other out?” Ava shrugged, face contorted. “I don’t know, inner turmoil is complicated. And also stupid.”

Troy appreciated the gesture, but he didn't like the idea of Ava apologizing to him, even if it wasn't technically an apology. It also felt even weirder since...Troy hadn't apologized to Ava for what he did to Maya. Granted, he had barely been living on Sanctuary for about a week, but that wasn't, or at least shouldn't be an excuse. Now that Ava was standing in front of him, he figured now was as good a time as any. “I know it’s too little too late,” he mumbled, “but...I’m sorry for killing Maya. It wasn’t on the list of things I knew I could do and...” He stopped himself mid-sentence. He didn't know much about making amends, but he knew making excuses for your behavior wasn't part of it. He sighed, “Look, I’m bad at apologies. But if I learned anything from my dad it’s that you don’t have to forgive _and_ forget.” He spoke to his dad before he passed, which involved a tear-filled conversation where his dad said as such. Saying those words wasn't comforting for Typhon, and he knew that, but he wanted to make sure his son didn't feel burdened when his dad was gone for good. Troy appreciated that much and, while it might take a while, he was on the path of forgiving his father.

Ava grimaced, not knowing how to respond to that odd piece of advice. “I guess...”

Troy, wasn't about to force the teen to forgive him nor did he expect her to forget what he'd done. But he did have a suggestion that might help her figure out which one she wanted to do. “So punch me,” his tone was flat in order to make sure he sounded indifferent.

“What?” Ava tilted her head slightly. It wasn't often she was given permission to act out violently.

Troy nodded, “You heard me. Punch me right here.” He tapped his left cheek with his finger.

“Really?” Ava sounded almost excited about the prospect, which worried Troy slightly, but he wasn't going to back down. How hard could she punch him anyway?

“Yeah, go ahead. Right in my face. As hard as you can.” Troy closed his eyes and leaned forward, preparing for the worst.

Ava smiled, bouncing on her feet, “Okay.” She lifted her fist and pulled it back. “Take this!” her knuckles made solid contact, knocking Troy’s head to the side.

“Ow! Man,” Troy rubbed his face as the corners of his lips lifted. “You got quite the arm.” He shook the pain from his face like a wet skag.

“Thanks. And so do you,” she gestured with an open hand to his right.

Troy remembered he still hadn't replaced the arm he lost to Tyreen. He giggled “Ooh, ouch. You’re funny too.” He was used to jokes at his expense, plus, his arm was never a sore spot. If Ava wanted to joke about it, then he wasn't about to stop her. But she wouldn't be able to joke for long. Troy was already working on another one, he was just missing a few parts he asked the Vault Hunters to keep their eyes out for. He wouldn't need as many pieces as his last one since he planned on his new one being more proportional than his last.

Ava cleared her throat as the humor of the situation died down, “That made me feel a bit better. But I might need to hit you a few more times to forgive you completely.”

Troy rolled his eyes. “Whatever it takes, then.”

“Well...I’ll see you around Troy,” she waved, turning on her heels and heading out of the bar.

Troy lifted his hand, “Later.” That went better than he could have hoped for. He accepted that Ava might never forgive him, but if they could at least get along, that was enough. That went for everyone on the ship.

He knew a few people wanted him dead for retribution on Maya’s behalf, and yet it was almost like they all forgot. Maybe the number was smaller than he figured. As he thought about it, the number of people who were close to Maya could be counted on one hand, which was helpful. Moxxi, Ellie, Zer0, and Ava. Maybe Marcus, but he always seemed too focused on his guns to be that close. Tannis wasn't good with attachment to other people other than Typhon, and Lilith, well...she wasn't on Sanctuary anymore.

In the end, he figured more than one of them would show him open resentment, yet the worst he got was judgemental looks. And after a week, most of those had disappeared too. He was confused. Was everyone secretly hating him? Did they all wish he left? Why hadn't anyone kicked him off if that was the case?

Part of him knew he was overthinking everything. After years of being the center of attention, having to watch his back constantly, and being belittled by his closest relative, maybe it made sense that he was still in that mindset. Everyone treating him like any other passenger was a slight against him. No one out to get him since he tried repenting was a sign of hidden agendas. No one piling on his insecurities showed that they didn't care about him.

Getting over those was going to be a struggle. Healing always was. Luckily his sister wasn't there to ruin any progress he had. Luckily his father gave him the closure he needed to start moving on. Luckily he had a few allies on the ship that would be there for him.

Amara doted on him like a mother, which he appreciated as long as she wasn't barging in on him at random moments to make sure he's doing okay. Zane was like a grandpa who was only intelligible half the time but acted as if everyone understood him no matter what nonsense came out. FL4K was the weird younger sibling with a dark sense of humor and an obsession with animals that was borderline creepy. And Moze was the aunt that only just tolerated family gatherings and spent most of her time ignoring everyone that wasn't her spouse.

Troy made these characterizations subconsciously. When he noticed he'd compared the Vault Hunters to his make-believe family, he almost screamed. He knew them personally for a week and he was already comparing them to family. Yet...he didn't hate the idea. He never had a family, at least not one he was comfortable using that word for.

Tyreen called the COV a family, a family of her creation, but it wasn't more than an exploitative relationship under the guise of togetherness. She said family was forever, that family was everything, but she was so quick to abandon their dad and to leave Troy to die that he doubted any notions his sister made related to the concept were true. But if Tyreen could make up what a family was, then so could he.

To Troy, the COV weren't his family. To him, family wasn't forever. To Troy, all family was were the people who had your back. Even if he had his doubts about the passengers of Sanctuary, he knew where his family was now. Even if they weren't his family yet, the Sanctuary crew and the Vault Hunters would be. After years of striving to become a star, he realized that wasn't what he wanted or needed. Now that Typhon and Tyreen were gone, he needed to find a family. As much as his feelings for his biological family were complex, he was thankful for them. If they hadn't acted as they did, he wouldn't be where he was now, exploring the galaxy’s wonders like his father and making a family of his own like his sister.

He was finally home.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S ABOUT THE FOUND FAMILY
> 
> I wasn't a Troy stan when I started writing this but after spending hours of my life giving him the character he didn't have in the actual game and writing little character interactions that got me attached I have to wonder...I probably always was. I think I just have a thing for dudes with tragic family lives who are only the villain because someone else made them that way.
> 
> This is probably one of my favorite things I've written so I'd hate to see it end so soon. But I wasn't about to drag this on just because I can't let go. Maybe if the next DLCs inspire something I might add onto this but I most likely won't.
> 
> Thanks for reading, though. While this isn't the longest thing I've written, it is the most long-form so I appreciate anyone who stuck through.
> 
> Also, Gearbox, I'm taking job offers, hit me up for Borderlands 4


End file.
